Living in Norway you soon learn that there is quite alot of rivalry between the eastern side and western side of the country, and in some cases the twain will never meet!
NSB (the Norwegian railway company) has recently released figures showing that more people/tourists are taking the picturesque rail route from Oslo in the east to Bergen in the west via Finse. The journey takes about 8 hours, although many break their joirney at Finse the highest station on the entire Norwegian railway system, at 1,222 m, in order to experience the wonderful scenery.
There are no roads at Finse, and hiking, cycling, skiing etc. are the activities of choice there. George Lucas filmed scenes here for Star Wars and The Empire Strikes back (the planet Hothi), and Scott of the Antarctic trained here.
Back to the train though. On board the only beer served is danish Carlsberg and Ringnes from Oslo. Bergen's well-known beer Hansa does not get a look in on the Bergen line! Obviously Hansa are none to happy with the situation, and there seems little explanation from NSB as to why they offer a 'foreign' beer rather than a Norwegian one.
Of course, Bergen does return the favour in spades. Ringnes is just not available in most of the pubs and bars here. No it's Hansa all the way and as a close second - yes you've guessed it Carlsberg!
Looks like Carlsberg is doing very well out of the east/west rivalry!
A blog about daily life in Bergen, Norway. We moved here in 2010 due to work commitments (my husband's). Now having survived the first winter I feel able to write about the place without too much negativity! it is amazing how a lack of light, freezing temperatures and general horrid weather drain creativity!! I've learnt Norwegian, and work part time - so this really is living in Bergen!
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